Book Addicts Anonymous

Boy is there a lot of them. :)
I've read two by Jodi Picoult, but not back to back . House Rules is a very moving story about a boy with Asperger's. He immerses himself completely in whatever he is interested in at the time.At the time in Jacob's life, when the book is set, his interest is in CSI type situations. Jacob's mother does wonder if he has committed the murder, but

The book explores the situation. As usual Picoult has been thorough in her research. I enjoyed it immensely.
The other was Change of Heart. Again, well researched and a deeply moving book.

The next two are by Pseudonymous Bosch. I bought them thinking they would be along the same lines as Jasper Fforde, Anonymous and Tom Holt's books. I did read them, but they are formulaic children's novels, which are possibly very good for the target audience, but to me the language was over simplistic, the plot fairly predictable, I wouldn't read any more personally, but would imagine that they would be very well received by readers from about age 8 to around 12. I do mean serious readers, the kind that become avid readers as adults. Titles...The Name of This Book is Secret, and This isn't What It looks Like.

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas. A brilliant book.
Definitely one worth reading, the book follows the repercussions that the act generates through the next year or so. Tsiolkas looks at the act from varying viewpoints. Very well written and plotted.

The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt. A fanstasy novel following the lives of Molly Templar and Oliver Brooks. Two orphans who end up thrown together only to embark on an adveture which will either end up with them killed or they will save the world. Nowhere near as predictable as it sounds, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Love in a Torn Land by Jean Sasson. This is a biography following the life of a Kurdish woman, Joanna, during 19987 mainly, when Saddam Hussein had ordered his cousin "Chemical ALi" to bombard Bergalou, and other villages within the Kurdish area of Iraq. The true story is a real eye opener from someone who was there and lived to tell the tale.
I don't normally read biographical accounts, but this one had me hooked from start to finish.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. This book is aimed at the teenn/young adult market, but is not condescending in any way. As with most books it starts just before the heroine loses her mother, she is then sent to England from India, and is enrolled at a boarding school...very "Little Princess" up to there, but Gemma is 16 years old, and finds herself prone to strange dreams , that draw her into a group of girls. A mystery unfolds. There is some passages in the book where the reader is taken into a "spirit world" that is very real to the girls in Gemma's circle.
A good book.

Valhalla by Tom Holt. :) I was given this for Mother's Day from my daughter, she'd managed to get hold of a signed copy for me. It is just as good as Holt's other books. Tom Holt has taken the idea of Valhalla and given it a unique twist of his own. If you like crazy situations, Tom Holt, and haven't read this book, what are you waiting for? Track it down immediately.

That's all for today. There is still a pile of 9 books that I have read and not blogged about.

Roman England, 366 AD

Minna, a Roman serving girl, loses family and home and is flung out into the brutal world to fend for herself. Desperate to reach her soldier brother at the northern frontier, she falls in with acrobat Cian, a tribeless youth with no loyalty to anyone but himself.

A terrible mistake sees them thrust into the wilds of barbarian Scotland, a land in chaos. The Romans send scouts north from their frontier, seeking to subdue Scotland by any means possible. The dark Picts attack back, raiding and pillaging Roman farms.

And caught in the middle is Cahir, King of the Dalriadans in Scotland. Year by year he has watched his people fall under the Roman yoke, and wounded by shame, his power dwindles.
At Dunadd, Cahir's fort, Cian and Minna must struggle to survive. Cian retreats into the pain of his hidden past, while Minna has an entirely unexpected path open before her. For what are the visions and dreams of Scotland that plague her, full of battles and bloodshed?

Compelled by an ancient prophecy, Minna's visions reveal a destiny that she shares with the wounded king Cahir, a path as seer and healer. Yet her journey to save them both has far-reaching consequences even she cannot foresee.

Love gained and lost.
The truth of who she really is.
And a war that will free Scotland from the Roman invaders forever.


This, as with all other writings of Jules Watson, left me utterly breathless. I could never possibly say enough great things about this amazing author. Her words grab you and suck you back in time, making you feel as though you're breathing the very air that surrounds her characters. You want to know these characters and feel as though you do by the time the book comes to a close. Though a historical novel in the sense of the time period it was set, the characters are purely fictional, yet everything felt so real. As though I was really there.

A lush, romantic retelling of one of the most enduring Irish legends, reigniting the tale of Deirdre-the Irish Helen of Troy-in a story that is at once magical, beautiful, and tragic.

She was born with a blessing and a curse: that she would grow into a woman of extraordinary beauty-and bring ruin to the kingdom of Ulster and its ruler, the wily Conor. Ignoring the pleadings of his druid to expel the infant, King Conor secrets the girl child with a poor couple of his province, where no man can covet her. There, under the tutelage of a shamaness, Deirdre comes of age in nature and magic. And in the season of her awakening, the king is inexorably drawn to her impossible beauty.

But for Deirdre, her fate as a man's possession is worse than death. And soon the green-eyed girl, at home in waterfall and woods, finds herself at the side of three rebellious young warriors. Among them is the handsome Naisi.

His heart charged with bitterness towards the aging king, and growing in love for the defiant girl, Naisi will lead Deirdre far from Ulster - and into a war of wits, sword, and spirit that will take a lifetime to wage.

Brimming with life and its lusts, here is a soaring tale of enchantment and eternal passions - and of a woman who became legend.

****

When I knew that I would be receiving an advanced copy of The Swan Maiden, I sat down to do research. After all, it was being sold as a retelling of one of Ireland's most enduring myths. Unfortunately, being a well-known myth doesn't automatically qualify for premiere internet status. In fact, there's not much information to go on to familiarize oneself with this legend, so when I finally received the book in hand and sat down to read, it was with a fresh eye, knowing very little about the myth and how it might be retold in a unique and exciting way.

I trust Jules as both an author who will keep my attention from the start and as a researcher who will keep true to the evidence available. So it was no surprise to me when I recognised even the smallest bits of the Swan Maiden tale I'd found online sprinkled into the story. In her author's note, Jules gives the name of the original telling of the Swan Maiden's story which I hope to read some day as the tale itself was indeed a beautiful yet tragic one. Just by reading the publisher's summary of the book, those familiar with the story of Helen of Troy will recognise similarities, but at the same time, Dierdre's story is definitely her own.

I highly recommend reading this book for anyone who loves Irish mythology, anyone who has loved Jules' previous books and those who enjoy a love story without all the sugar dripping from every page.

I'd give this book 20 stars out of 20, but the rating system doesn't go that high so I guess 5/5 will have to do.